Thailand is recognized by travelers all over the globe, as one of the world's favorite tourist destinations. The unmatched attribute of "Thainess", which is the richness of our cultural heritage combined with the warm nature and welcoming hospitality of Thai people give visitors warm memories of their special times in Thailand.

Thailand is recognized by travelers all over the globe, as one of the world's favorite tourist destinations. The unmatched attribute of "Thainess", which is the richness of our cultural heritage combined with the warm nature and welcoming hospitality of Thai people give visitors warm memories of their special times in Thailand. This ranges from the Thai friendliness, hospitality, service mind, to various forms of arts & crafts; such as, the unique, delicate ways of carving vegetables and fruit. In terms of location, Thailand is considered as the hub for the Greater Mekong Subregion. The country is also recognized as a value-for-money destination for all types of visitors, from young backpackers to families and high-end travelers. A wealth of natural attractions, from forested mountains in the North to sunny beaches in the South is the country's valued asset; meanwhile, an endless variety of tourist attractions offers something to meet every visitor's interest - sports, history, culture, wellness, dining, nightlife, adventure, and so on. This also makes Thailand strong in niche markets; such as, health and wellness, golf, and weddings and honeymoons.

Looking through the industry development, Thailand has set new benchmarks in the marketing of travel and tourism. We now face some unique challenges in dealing with issues of sustainability and instability. Travel and tourism has been one of the country's most successful economic sectors over the last 50 years. While agriculture remains our bedrock, travel and tourism is our top service sector. It is our huge competitive advantage and has worked wonders for job creation, distribution of income, and preservation of heritage and culture.

The most important dynamic now in motion is a restoration of balance. This is the essence of the new emerging world order, especially what is being known as "The Asian Century". This restoration of balance is between the economic and ecological factors, in other words, sustainability.

The priority for Thailand's tourism industry is to look at the track record of what we have achieved over the past four to five decades, establish what has worked and what has not worked, what we can learn from, and what we can do to make sure that the wins outnumber the losses in the future.

Thailand is actively preparing for the launch of the historic ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) in 2015. The Community will usher in a new and exciting era in travel and tourism in the region, with important implications for the global tourism industry.

The Laguna Phuket Triathlon is Asia's premier destination triathlon featuring a unique 1.8km, swim, 55km bike and 12km run through spectacular tropical scenery. The event features both Individual Triathlon and Team Relay Triathlon where over the past twenty years, the race has attracted thousands of age group athletes as well as triathlon legends.

Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon is the world standard athletic sport of Thailand, which is very popular for Thai and foreign runners around the world. The Bangkok Marathon offers participants more than just a normal marathon experience with happines from the warm welcome and cheerful smiles. The course takes the runners past many fascinating tourist attractions of Bangkok, such a the Grand Palace, Wat Phra Keao or the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, the National Museum and the Chao Phraya River.The race is divided into 4 categories, with divisions for different age groups.

Surin province is well-known for its domestic elephant village where it holds 'Surin Elephant Round-Up' every year to show various performance by elephants. This event also promotes tourism and preserves the local way of life of a profound bond among people and elephants in this province. There are arrays of activities in this event such as a fair featuring a range of agricultural products and a wide variety of Mueang Surin products, the exhibition, cultural performances and entertaining shows.

The illuminated boat procession or 'Lai Ruea Fai' event is a tradition related to the legend about the end of Buddhist Lent which the Lord Buddha spent the entire period of Buddhist Lent in Heaven and returned to Earth at the end. To pay respect and welcome the Lord Buddha, Ruea Fai or fire boats decorated with flowers, incense sticks, candles and lanterns are launched on the Mekong River in the evening. It is also believed that this ceremony will bring sadness and bad things in life away with the river. There will be boats which are impressively constructed and decorated along the Khong River.

It is the only race in Bangkok to be held at midnight, and offers competitors a choice of 2 distances - 6km or 12km. The city streets will be closed and protected by a police and security contingent of about 400 officers, and supported along the route by local residents, and shop owners together with the management and staff of the Amari Watergate Hotel Bangkok. The atmosphere is tremendous, with over 5000 runners, both local people and foreigners. The winners for the best record in 12km of male and female championship will receive the Royal trophy of HRH Princess Sirindhorn. The proceeds from the event will be donated to some very worthy causes such as supporting the education of children whose parents have very tragically passed away due to HIV infection and supporting for a Better Life Project which supports educational opportunities for underprivileged children in poor areas of Thailand.

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar which lasts for 9 days. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of cleansing and merit-making. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as "Ma Song".

The fair is meant to pay tribute to Her Majesty the Queen, who has played a vital role in developing Thai silk and making it known throughout the world. This fair will display the textile manufacturing in the local communities along with the fashion show under the theme of Thai Silk Fashion Week featuring various famous Thai and international designers.

Ubon Ratchathani Candle Festival is the traditional well-known festival in I-San and the largest religious ceremony in Ubon Ratchathani, which is held on Asalha Bucha Day and Khao Phansa Day every year. This day marks as the beginning of the rainy season retreat for the Buddhist monks. During the celebration, huge candles are prepared by people from temples throughout the province a couple of days before the procession, and then paraded through the city on floats with a beautiful lady representing an angel for each candle, each representing a local temple, district or other institution. The procession moves from in front of Wat Si Ubon Rattanaram along the road to Thung Si Mueang. There are also dancers and musicians in traditional dresses joining the parade. In addition, there are impressive exhibition of wax sculptures, which are created by the international artists from various countries.

The Pattaya Marathon is one of the most popular Pattaya events and it is held annually. Also known as the King's Cup marathon, this annual event is a large scale marathon and half-marathon running that attracts athletes from all over the world to participate. The King's Cup marathon is such a big deal for athletes that is has become one of the most celebrated sports-related Pattaya festivals. Not only Thai residents are allowed to participate, but people from worldwide are also welcomed to participate this joyful event. It brings many people to the borders of Pattaya, especially serious athletes from around the world that are looking to dominate in the races.